[caption id="attachment_3028" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/eee.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3028" src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/eee-300x204.png" alt="“These backpacks help young students to feel excited about going back to school,” says De Almeida." width="300" height="204" /></a> “These backpacks help young students to feel excited about going back to school,” says De Almeida.[/caption]

The American Medical Technologists Student Society on the <a title="SJVC Visalia Campus" href="http://www.sjvc.edu/visalia" target="_blank">Visalia campus</a> spearheaded a drive to collect funds and supplies for Back-to-School backpacks for kids involved in the local Boys and Girls Club.

AMTSS Board members lead a 4-week collection campaign, which began early July and ended August 7th. Club members set a goal of providing thirty backpacks with supplies, but ended up with forty-four packs, bursting with binders, rulers, pens, pencils, paper and crayons for their young recipients.

The Dental Assisting Club donated $120, and Veronica Denton, a friend of an AMTSS Club member donated $100 with which more supplies were purchased. Visalia campus staff, faculty and students donated many of the back-to-school items, and the CSA Club donated laptop cases.

“Students felt very excited and happy to be able to serve children in their community,” says Sujana De Almeida, Medical Assisting instructor and AMTSS Advisor.

The backpacks were taken to the Boys and Girls Club of Visalia on August 8th, where children who had been identified by the local club as being in need of school supplies, were waiting to choose their backpacks. “These backpacks help young students to feel excited about going back to school,” says De Almeida.

AMTSS Board members include: Charles Shelley, President, Tameira Thomas, Vice President, Yer Vang, Secretary and Martha Ramirez, Treasurer. “They took the lead in this campaign and worked together as a team with all the other members of the AMTSS Club,” says Sujana.

Going back to school will be just a little easier for a few fortunate kids, thanks to the industrious efforts of the American Medical Technologists Student Society and a generous Visalia campus.